Page 66 of Merciless King
Elysse nods like a bobble head. I scan the area, looking for Gabriel. He doesn’t care for Elysse, but he knows she’s the key to controlling me. I'm terrified that Gabriel might somehow find her, that he might try to hurt her to get back at me.
We pull to the spot to let her out.
"Ready, kiddo?" Elio asks, turning around to smile at Elysse in the backseat.
"Ready, Daddy!"
The word "Daddy" coming from her lips makes my heart skip a beat. I exit the car and open the door on her side as Ms. Kramer steps up to us.
Elysse jumps out, and I kneel down to give her a hug. "Have a great day, sweetie. Today, I’ll pick you up, okay?”
She nods, then turns to Elio. "Bye, Daddy.”
Ms. Kramer’s brows pull together because clearly, Elio isn’t Gabriel.
“Bye, Elysse. Have a good day,” he says back to her.
I get back into the car, and Elio and I watch as she disappears into the school. My heart aches with a bittersweet mix of love and fear. When she's out of sight, I feel Elio's hand on mine.
"She's going to be okay. I won't let anything happen to either of you."
I lean into him, drawing strength from his solid presence. For the first time in years, I allow myself to believe that maybe, just maybe, everything will be alright.
We return to Elio’s spacious mansion, for lack of a better description. He guides me inside with a gentle hand on the small of my back, his touch both comforting and electric. As we step into the foyer, a distinguished-looking man in a well-tailored suit rises from the couch to greet us.
“Tony, thanks for coming,” Elio says to him. He turns to me. “Piper, this is Tony Ferrara, my attorney. He’s here to help you draft the divorce papers."
I shake Tony's outstretched hand. "Thank you for coming.” I’m really doing this. I’m really going to be free from Gabriel.
We settle in Elio’s office. Tony pulls out a notepad and asks me a variety of questions. At first, I insist that I don't want anything from Gabriel. No money, no property, nothing. I just want to be free of him, to never have to see his face again.
But as Tony gently prods me to consider my future, I realize that I have no financial means of my own. For the past four years, I've been entirely dependent on Gabriel, with no access to my own bank account or credit cards. I haven’t worked. The work history I have is a few short years as a single mom in England.
The thought of starting over from scratch, with no resources to support myself and Elysse, is daunting. I glance at Elio, knowing in my heart that he would never let us struggle. But at the same time, I don’t want to have to rely on, to be at the mercy of, a man. Not even one as kind and generous as Elio.
After much discussion and soul-searching, I finally agree to a fair settlement—enough to cover Elysse's needs and give us a cushion to start our new life, but not so much that I feel like I'm taking advantage.
“What about the child?—”
“The child isn’t his,” Elio says with a growl.
Tony keeps his attention on me. “Even if he isn’t the biological father, if he adopted?—”
Elio tenses next to me.
I quickly shake my head. “He didn’t adopt her. He has no legal claim to her.”
Elio lets out a breath of relief.
“I’ll get this drawn up and to you ASAP. You’ll sign, and I’ll arrange for their delivery,” Tony says.
By ASAP, he meant it. Within a few hours, he is back with the documents. As I sign my name on the dotted line, a surge of emotions courses through me. I'm finally breaking free from the chains that have held me captive for so long. I feel a sense of empowerment at taking a significant step toward reclaiming my independence and forging a better future for myself and my daughter.
When Tony leaves, my need to be able to care for myself, along with a growing sense of confidence, has me wanting to find my own purpose, my own identity outside of my relationship with Elio.
“You okay?” Elio asks as he takes me in his arms.
I nod. “I’m just thinking about reclaiming my life.”